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Original Message

"On Sunday, al-Assad issued Legislative Decree No. 53 "on exempting crude gold imports from the importation fees and the domestic costs according to the Law No. 35 for the year 2007".

Gold bullion imports no longer require a special permit and travelers are allowed to bring gold bullion coins and bars with them into the country, the decree said.

The move is a sign of desperation due to the immense economic difficulties facing Syria as its economy is being suffocated through economic sanctions and the civil war.

Like Syria’s economy as a whole, its banking industry is severely damaged and some parts of it are close to stopping functioning.

Professor Nouriel Roubini and other financial experts have pointed out that “you cannot eat gold.”

However, people in nations suffering from currency and economic wars can testify as to how they can use gold in order to buy food, fuel and medicine for their families in difficult times.

Gold is, as it has done throughout history, protecting them and their families from the ravages of currency devaluation and economic collapse."

True, you cannot eat gold. But you cannot barter for fuel or food with paper notes that have lost their value of exchange. In times of economic collapse, as Syria is now facing, gold becomes the value of exchange and barter.